


Disaster Pie: A Check, Please! One-Shot

by beautygracepunchyouintheface



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Deal With It, M/M, but some things, jack's realizing some things, not big things, short and sweet, they're adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23353948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautygracepunchyouintheface/pseuds/beautygracepunchyouintheface
Summary: As Jack tries and fails to help Bitty with their food history class project, he notices a few things about their time together.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 8
Kudos: 84





	Disaster Pie: A Check, Please! One-Shot

**Author's Note:**

> this was for a teen literature class. enjoy.

Jack Zimmermann can’t help but wince when he examines the absolute mess before him. What was meant to be an intricate and flowery “basket weave”—as Bittle calls it—has instead become a confused mixture of flimsy pie dough and thick filling. Not even the handfuls of cinnamon and nutmeg that Bittle dropped into the recipe could save this. Jack basically committed the pie equivalent of swinging for the puck and missing entirely. As in, the puck is in the same frustrating place and Jack has skidded halfway across the ice.

Oh, how Jack missed peewee hockey. And his dad’s… impassioned shouting from the sidelines. 

Bittle’s rolling accent bounces off the blotchy walls, his chatter filling up the room like the smell of whatever it is he’s concocting over there. Should he tell the sophomore about his pie’s tragic end? Not that he’s afraid of Bittle, exactly. He’s just seen what the Haus calls Bittle’s ‘baking rage’, and does he really wanna on the receiving end of it?

Jack’s eyes narrow, staring at his hands as they continue to ruin the pie. It’ll be fine. “Bittle, I’m messing up your project. Look at this. It’s awful…” 

Bittle all but scoffs. “Stop it; I’m sure it’s great. Lemme see--”

At the same time, Jack exclaims, “I have no idea why you’re trusting me with this. Look--”

Jack slides his hand under the pie tin and heaves it up, knowing that Bittle will wait to finish measuring the flour before he checks on Jack’s baking travesty. 

Or at least he thought he knew, because a second later, they are colliding, flour and pie filling and a jumble of Southern-Canadian niceties flying into the air. In the chaos, everything seems to narrow down to a singular point. The warm kitchen and uneven walls disappear, giving way to just Jack and Bittle and their disaster of a pie chilling above their heads. 

Jack can’t help but smile when he sees the exasperated—almost scandalized—look on BIttle’s face. It takes him a moment to realize the guy is talking. 

Bittle stutters, “E-Excuse you, but my kitchen is no place for checking!” 

The blush on his face grew redder and redder still, and Jack can’t say he’s not enjoying it. After all, teasing Bittle is one of his favorite pastimes. Just look at the sophomore’s oft-updated Twitter page.

Jack’s voice is light as he shoots back, “...Your kitchen?”

“Well, the kitchen! Now move your big--uhm.” Bittle is quick to doubleback, his eyes growing even wider than they already are. 

Oh, he is almost making it too easy. Jack barely has to do anything at all, asking, “My big…?” He leaves the question hanging, anticipating another flustered response from the baking master himself. 

All Jack gets, though, is a fistful of flour in his face. And his pie—not that it matters at this point. The world around him instantly returns as Bittle follows it with a clean cover-up. “I was asking about your professional hockey career, Mr. Zimmermann.” 

Jack has to respect it. Bittle is almost as fast as he is in the rink. 

He also has to admit that this really is Bittle’s kitchen. Everyone else certainly treats it that way. This entire ordeal reminds him of the early morning checking drills between Bittle and him. Maybe this is payback in more ways than one. Bittle is helping Jack in the same way that Jack helped him. And he supposes flour to the face is proper revenge for all those hard hits…

Maybe they both have something to offer each other. Maybe Bittle’s more than just a teammate.

With that thought lingering, Jack jumps back into explaining all the factors and details that go into his NHL team decision. The words flow out of him at an unexpected speed, and then he’s telling Bittle all of the different things he wants, all that he’s hoping for. And somewhere in the back of Jack’s mind, it clicks.

Bittle may be one of the easiest people to talk to.

Especially while trying to salvage the historically accurate basket weave of their disaster pie.


End file.
